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<title>who is that frowning man?</title>
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<center><p><h1>the variegated wood...</h1></center><p>

oak trees were very significant in classical mythology for many religions.
partially because they don't lose their leaves in winter, they were seen as
a sign of longevity and power, and oak groves were sites of extreme
significance to druids and witches on the british isles, especially. <p>

the image of the "foliate mask," which is more commonly called the green
man, is ubiquitous in medieval churches from britain, and is also a very
common image in the modern pagan movement.  the foliate mask usually
appears as a man peering through a bunch of oak leaves, with the leaves
also becoming part of his features, such as his beard, hair or cheeks.  he
can be playful, joyous, and celebrate the humor of fertility and spring, or
he can be the somber old man of winter, with snow covering his aged face
and collecting in the grey leaves of his beard.  <p>

i often use the image of the green man as a meditation point when
considering the masculine aspect of deity--witchcraft thealogy tends to
view godhead as dual, with masculine and feminine aspects, either in
balance, or with the male as the created yet creative consort of the
female.  and, while the female half has a very established mystery and
lore, the male tends to have less and tends to be much more tied to the
cycle of the year, often being symbolized by a child born at yule (dec. 21)
every year and dying at samhain (hallowe'en) (or the fall holiday of your
choice). <p>

another interesting oak tree datum:  in times of war, people have often
turned to acorns as a foodstuff.  while they do have some nutrition in
them, i think i'll still leave them to the squirrels.

<hr>
<center>"we are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of
dreams."--aphex twin</center>
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<address>dan brown (snowman@cs.cornell.edu).<br> last updated 13 aug 96</address>
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